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NATO said Saturday it is working with the United States to understand Washington’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, as tensions in transatlantic ties deepen over the Middle East war.
The Pentagon announced Friday that the withdrawal of around 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany is expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”
NATO said it was seeking details from Washington on the planned force posture change in Germany.
NATO is “working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany,” spokeswoman Allison Hart wrote on X.
“This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security,” she said.
There were 36,436 active-duty U.S. troops in NATO ally Germany as of Dec. 31, 2025. The figure compared with 12,662 in Italy and 3,814 in Spain.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Saturday that the U.S. troop withdrawal “from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected.”
The decision also drew concern from top Republican lawmakers who oversee U.S. military policy.
Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers, the chairs of the Armed Services committees in the Senate and House, warned in a joint statement Saturday that pulling troops from Germany risks “sending the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin.”
They said that although European allies are increasing defense spending, turning that investment into the military capability needed to assume primary responsibility for conventional deterrence would take time.
The lawmakers also said Germany had responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for greater defense spending.
They noted that Germany had allowed American planes to use German bases and airspace during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
The Pentagon’s announcement followed a dispute between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Merz said Monday that Iran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table.
Trump has threatened to reduce U.S. troop numbers in Germany and other European allied countries during both of his White House terms, saying Europe should take greater responsibility for its defense instead of relying on Washington.
Trump said Thursday that he might pull U.S. troops from Italy and Spain because of their opposition to the Iran war.
“Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible,” Trump told reporters.
“Yeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn’t I?” he said.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday that Berlin was “prepared” for a reduction in U.S. troops.
He said Germany was “discussing it closely and in a spirit of trust in all NATO bodies.”
However, Wadephul said major American bases in Germany are “not up for discussion at all.”
He cited Ramstein Air Base, saying it has “an irreplaceable function for the United States and for us alike.”
The troop withdrawal announcement also came as Trump said tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union would rise from 15% to 25% next week.
He accused the bloc of failing to comply with a trade deal signed last summer.
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